


Down Not Out

by BreakfastTea



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, Prompto and his amazing immune system, Sick Fic, When Hunts Go Bad, broke bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 10:15:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19129981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreakfastTea/pseuds/BreakfastTea
Summary: First Gladio gets sick. Then Ignis. Noctis and Prompto do their best to take care of their friends, but they still run out money. They'll just have to make up for it with hunts when everyone's better. A lot of hunts. Days of hunting in the rain.Except Noctis isn't feeling so good either...





	Down Not Out

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Fanfic Friday #12! This anon wanted a fic in which Noctis has a cold that gets worse when the bros are flat broke. I really hope you enjoy your request!

Gladio caught it first; a heavy chest cold that left him barking at all hours no matter how much he pretended he was alright. They slowed down on taking hunts, and then stopped when Ignis came down with it too a few days later. Noctis didn't think he'd ever seen either of them so sick. 

Their finances took a massive hit, but with two out of four sick, it would be stupid to take any risks. Besides, they could take on extra hunts to make up for it once Gladio and Ignis were well enough. Unfortunately, it meant camping. A lot of camping. So much camping, Noctis looked forward to the day he never, ever, had to sleep under canvas ever again. He did not get Gladio’s obsession with it.

They couldn't stay in one place either. Seemed Niflheim had stepped up its patrols. They had to keep moving from haven to haven, dodging MTs at every turn. Noctis took over the driving. He and Prompto kept Gladio and Ignis properly hydrated and cared for. And, at times, Noctis and Prompto had to defend them, taking out some partially-daemonised Garulas between them and the haven at Alstor Slough.

Now, Prompto helped Gladio and Ignis into the tent at their latest haven at Pullmoor while Noctis created his best approximation of one of Ignis’ soups. He weaved a little Cure magic into it to help his friends recover faster. Hopefully it would keep himself and Prompto healthy too.

"You must take care not to catch this," Ignis said when Noctis handed over the soup a short while later. He sneezed into a sodden handkerchief. “This is utterly miserable.”

"You feel that bad?" Noctis asked, handing over a water bottle along with the soup. He dug into Ignis’ bag and pulled out a fresh handkerchief for him too.

"I have certainly felt better," Ignis said. He looked at Noctis and Prompto. “You should really keep your distance.”

"Don't worry about us," Prompto said. He handed over two fresh cold compresses.

"That'll be the day," Gladio croaked from the other side of the tent.

"Get some sleep," Noctis said. "You'll feel better after a nap."

Once they finished tending to their friends, Noctis and Prompto left them to sleep. Luckily it was a beautiful day, so they sat by the haven's glowing fire. Prompto cleaned his guns while Noctis did his best to infuse the cold medicine they'd picked up in Lestallum with magic. 

"What do you think they'd say if we took on some hunts without them?" Prompto asked, keeping his voice low.

Noctis sighed. "I don't think the lectures would be worth it." Except they were running seriously low on money, and it would take a lot of work to earn the gil they needed to afford anything other than the essentials.

They would be camping for a long, long, _long_ time…

“We could take on a couple of hunts and not tell them,” Prompto said, voice low.

“No. We can’t risk getting injured.” The thought of leaving Ignis and Gladio alone, unprotected and sick, left Noctis dizzy with anxiety.

Prompto stared at him, mouth hanging open.

Noctis stared at him. “What?”

“Oh! Nothing. I was just wondering when exactly you started channelling Ignis.”

Noctis kicked him.

Prompto laughed. “Ow, dude!”

“You asked for it,” Noctis said, trying to focus again on the cold medicine.

“Fine, fine. So, no hunts for us?”

“No.”

Because, if Noctis was totally honest, he wasn't feeling so great himself.

* * *

A week later, Ignis and Gladio were recovered enough to resume hunting. Prompto remained perfectly healthy - it always took something like the flu to take him out once a decade. Lesser germs couldn't break through Prompto's amazing immune system. Noctis' whatever-it-was hadn't progressed beyond a constant running nose, which he figured was more likely to be allergies than a cold. Springtime back in Insomnia always made him sniffly. This had to be down to exposure to pollen in different parts of the continent. That was it. Nothing worse. He could not be sick.

Besides, they had a lot of catching up to do. They'd burned through all the cash during their unexpected week off, and now all the well-paying hunts were gone. They had to fight for scraps, and those were barely enough to feed them, let alone put a roof over their heads. It meant even more camping. They didn’t even have the energy to argue. They just collapsed at the end of every day, living off Cup Noodles and other instant food. Noctis was amazed that Ignis didn’t even complain about the poor diet. He just kept insisting the more they saved by keeping their spending to an absolute minimum, the longer they could spend in a motel or a caravan. And that sounded amazing to Noctis. They just had to get through the next few days of hunting.

Except it started raining.

And didn’t stop.

Two days into constant rain, Noctis' sniffle added a headache to the mix. He reluctantly admitted the ‘allergies’ were more likely a cold, but honestly? He didn’t really feel that bad. It was more of an annoyance than anything. Sure, his voice was croaky, his head throbbed constantly, and he was congested to the point of having to breathe through his mouth if he wanted to fill his lungs, but that was it. He wasn’t feverish or achy or miserable like Gladio and Ignis had been. He could handle this.

“Are you sure?” Ignis asked the next morning as they huddled in the tent, eating a meagre breakfast. “You can leave this morning’s hunt to us if needs be.”

“Needs don’t be,” Noctis said. This hunt was a big one in the Greyshire Grotto. An Ariadne had been spotted, and so far no one had managed to take it out. They needed this hunt. Seriously, desperately needed it. Completing it and a smaller one just outside Old Lestallum would give them the money for a motel for a couple of nights. Between Ignis’ budgeting and their days upon days of hunting, they nearly had enough for some much needed, under-a-roof downtime. The thought of showering rather than bathing with wet wipes and aftershave was too good to put off for much longer. “I’m fine.” Noctis blew his nose. “It’s nothing like what you had. It’s just annoying. I really don’t feel that bad.” And he didn’t. Why did Ignis have to fuss like this? The guy needed to trust him for once. “Guess I got the weaker version of whatever you guys had.”

“But –”

“Enough, okay?” Maybe he didn’t feel that bad, but his temper frayed. “I’m not that sick.”

“He’s fine,” Gladio added. “Don’t you remember what we were like? It hit us like a truck. Whatever Noct’s got, it’s not the same.”

“I can deal with a cold this pathetic,” Noctis said. He really needed Ignis to lay off. He couldn’t spend every second of every day worrying like this. If it didn’t give Ignis an ulcer, it was going to drive Noctis crazy. Besides, if this was as bad as he felt, then it really was nothing. He didn’t need Ignis to lose his shit over a few sniffles. He wouldn’t have done back home. He would’ve rolled his eyes and told Noctis to get to school and stop complaining.

“Fine,” Ignis said. He didn’t look happy. Not even slightly. “But don’t stay quiet if you start to feel as bad as we did. You don’t want to be that sick.”

“Okay.” Noctis ignored his flicker of guilt. They couldn’t afford to be one man down right now. Not this close to earning the money they all needed to put a roof over their heads.

It was late morning by the time they made it to the Grotto. Noctis startled out of a light doze when Ignis put the car in park. The weather hadn’t let up at all, the pitter patter of raindrops soothing against the car’s window. He looked at his friends. None of them seemed keen to move. For a moment, he felt their collective exhaustion weighing down on him. This wasn’t fair on them. They’d expected a simple trip to Altissia, not weeks and months of constant fleeing. They were drained, and in desperate need of a break.

A break they literally could not afford just yet. But soon. Very, very soon.

Noctis forced himself to sit up. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

Ignis shook himself out of a daze. “Yes, of course.”

They headed down to the Grotto. Before they went in, Noctis did dried their clothes with a quick bonfire. Better that than their soaked clothes freezing to them. Dried out, they headed in. Conversation remained minimal. They didn’t have the energy to spare.  Not when they had a daemonic spider to take on.

Noctis sneezed, wiping his streaming nose against his wrist. His throat and chest ached with the force of it.

“You’re gonna bring it right to us,” Gladio hissed.

“Good,” Noctis said. “Let’s get this over and done with.”

“Noct. We need the element of surprise,” Ignis said.

Noctis rolled his eyes. “We’ll manage.”

They found the daemon in the depths of the Greyshire Grotto. The path down to the nook was long, winding and extremely icy. Noctis pulled a flask out of the Armiger. It was one of his more powerful Firaga blends. He held out an arm to hold the others back. They would not want to be caught up in this one.

“Take cover,” he whispered. He swallowed hard, feeling a strange flutter in his chest. Dammit, not now. He couldn’t start coughing here.

“Just remember if you warp into the Ariadne, you’re gonna be on your own until we can catch up,” Gladio whispered back.

“You don’t think the flask will take it out in one, incredibly convenient blow?” Prompto asked.

Noctis couldn’t help smiling at Prompto’s eternal optimism. He launched the flask, hoping it might do the trick.

It wasn’t enough. Fire tended not to last too long in the Grotto’s bitter chill. But it hurt the Ariadne, and now they had the daemon’s attention.

Noctis pulled a dagger out of the Armiger. “Start running,” he told the others.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Gladio said.

“I’ll leave that to you,” Noctis said.

Gladio’s response was lost to the sound of Noctis’ warp. His dagger stabbed deep into Ariadne’s back, angering the already burned creature. He held tight.

Right up to the moment he sneezed so explosively, he lost his grip.

Noctis hit the ice hard, the sharp jolt surprising him. The Ariadne reared back, its forelegs rising, stabbing downwards. Noctis swore, switching the dagger for the Engine Blade and blocked the blows before they could make contact.

"Crap,” he hissed. He really shouldn’t have taken off on his own. A cough scratched at his chest. He didn’t have time to feel sick. And if the daemon hit him with a lightning attack, it’d knock him out. He couldn’t risk becoming a burden on the others.

Noctis put all his strength into shoving the Ariadne away. It swung at him, slinging itself across the cavern on a thick web. Noctis warped through it, cutting the thick material. The daemon hit the ground hard, just in time for his friends to arrive and keep hacking away at it. Noctis landed his warp and sneezed again. He coughed too. That was getting worse. Deeper. The cold air wound into his lungs, making them ache.

Noctis turned, scanning his friends’ positions before throwing himself back into the fight. The others had the Ariadne distracted, meaning its back was wide open. Noctis warped again, already feeling the strain. That was a sure sign he was sicker than he ought to be. Still, the Engine Blade sunk into the daemon’s back, severing its spine. It collapsed with a rasping gasp.

But it wasn’t dead yet, and it wasn’t going down without a fight. It didn’t need a spine to cast a final blast of Thunder. It hit Noctis, sending him flying across the cavern. His body absorbed some of the thunder, but not enough to negate its effects. He hit a wall, pain tearing through his body. He fell, not back into the main cavern but into a deep gouge in the ice.

Black.

The next thing he knew, he was on the ground, icy cold bleeding through his whole body. Crap, that had really hurt. He got his hands and knees under him, pushing himself up on all fours. He lasted for a couple of seconds before the dizziness and pain got the better of him. He collapsed onto his side, the bitter chill sharpening the aches in his body. He curled up, a deep, wracking cough getting the better of him.

Shit. He felt really bad. Not just because he’d taken a Thunder spell to the face and crashed into a wall. It was like the cold hit him all at once.

Dammit, dammit, dammit. He couldn’t give into illness. Not now. They had another hunt to finish off.

Looking up, he saw just how deep a hole he’d fallen into. The ice was so thick it looked blue. He shivered, colder than he’d ever been.

“Noct! Where are you?” Gladio bellowed.

Noctis tore one of their precious potions out of the Armiger, breaking it open. The magic washed over him, taking the pain away. While it didn’t do much for the cold, it did give him the strength to stand and call back. “Down here.”

Gladio’s head appearing above. “You in one piece?”

Noctis cleared his throat. “All good.” His weapon appeared in his hand. “Step back. I’m gonna warp.”

“Alright. Just be careful of the ice. Don’t need you breaking anything.”

Gladio stepped back. Noctis threw his sword, warping after it. He landed hard, skidding over the ice. Gladio grabbed him, keeping him from faceplanting. “You good?” he asked.

Noctis nodded. He didn’t trust himself to speak, not with the itch growing in his chest and throat. If the others found out how rough he felt, there was no way they’d take on that final hunt. And they needed that money. With that, they’d finally be able to afford a motel. No way could Noctis deny himself a bed and a shower.

Gladio let go, ruffling his hair. “Feeling pretty toasty there, Noct.”

“After-effects of that Thunder spell,” he said. Which was a total lie because the potion had taken care of that. “I’m as cold as you guys are.”

“Hey, when did I say I was cold?” Gladio teased.

Noctis forced himself to laugh. He had to act normal, because he was toasty. He could feel it in the creeping itch under his skin. Shit. He had a fever.

“Can we please get out of here now?” Prompto asked, dancing on the spot. “I am turning into a popsicle over here!”

“Let’s go,” Ignis said. “If we get out in good time, we can reach the hunt at the Old Lestallum bridge.”

Noctis intended to sleep for every single second of that journey.

* * *

By the time they reached the car, they were freezing, filthy and wet. Not only was it still pouring with rain, they’d had to scramble over rocks to avoid the giant Midgardsomr. None of them had made it unscathed, but Ignis refused to let them use a single potion, not with one more hunt standing between them and actual motel beds. Noctis could deal with a few new grazes and bruises if it meant he could sleep in a dry, warm bed tonight.

He leaned back in the car, closing his eyes. Sleep. He needed to –

The coughing fit came out of nowhere, and by the time it was finished, he was left gasping for air with three sets of eyes staring at him.

“Noct,” Ignis said in a tone Noctis knew all too well. “That sounds serious.”

Gladio handed him a bottle of water. Noctis chugged half of it, the cool drink soothing his burning throat.

“I’m fine,” Noctis wheezed. Not good. The others stared at him like he might drop dead on the spot.

Ignis looked at Gladio. Gladio nodded and reached over, his hand landing on Noctis’ forehead. “Yeah, that’s what we call a fever,” Gladio said.

Noctis shoved him away. “I’m fine,” he said, pretending like he couldn’t hear his own breath rattling in his chest. “Let’s get to the river and finish that hunt.”

“Not a chance,” Ignis said. “We’ll use the money from this hunt to get some medicine and –”

“No,” Noctis said. “We finish that second hunt and then we have money for medicine and a motel.” Damn, the heat pressed against his skin, cooking him from the inside out.

“Noct, that’s foolish,” Ignis said.

“But… wouldn’t it be better if we could sleep under a solid roof for once?” Prompto asked. “We’re all run down. We need a break. So if Noct says he can handle one more hunt, then he can handle one more hunt.”

Prompto was the best, always believing in Noctis even when no one else did.

“I can do it,” Noctis said. “One more hunt. That’s all we need. Then we’ll have enough money again.”

“Alright,” Ignis said. “But the moment you feel too bad to fight, fall back.”

“Right,” Gladio said. “Leave it to us.”

“Sure,” Noctis said. He closed his eyes. “Wake me up when we get there.”

Except he couldn’t drop off during the entire journey, not properly. A tide of fragmented dreams washed over him, casting him adrift without letting him sleep. In the end, he had to open his eyes, the nausea too much. He watched the damp, grey landscape pass by, the only sound the car’s purring engine. He really did feel crap now; too hot, head aching, throat sore and chest feeling like it was full of bubbles. Whatever. He could deal. One more fight, and then a warm shower and an actual bed. It was so close he could practically feel the blankets wrapping around him, tighter, tighter, binding him in place until he couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t –

“Noct? We’re here.”

Prompto’s voice pulled him out of the nightmare. Noctis jolted forwards, restrained only by Gladio’s hand. The rapid movement didn’t sit well with his chest, bringing about another barking round of side-splitting coughs.

“You should stay here,” Ignis said.

Noctis just pushed his way out of the car the second he stopped coughing. Ignis had parked on the other end of the Old Lestallum bridge, giving them access to the side or the river where a nest of Seadevils terrorised the locals. Noctis pulled out the best Ice magic flask he had. It was a Blizzard threaded with Stop magic. He hadn’t had the time or the focus lately to restock his more destructive magic. This would be enough to slow the Seadevils down so they could take them out.

Noctis handed the flask over to Prompto. He had the best long range aim out of all of them. “Remember; aim for the centre of the group,” Noctis said, his voice rasping and thin. He was going to lose it completely at this rate. “The more you hit, the slower they’ll be and –”

“And the easier it’ll be for the rest of us to take them out,” Ignis said. He looked at Noctis. “You need to stay back. If you falter here, those creatures could grab you, drag you into the water, and drown you. You’re not at full strength.”

None of them were, but Noctis didn’t have the energy to argue. He kept to the back of the group. If they needed him, he would be there.

“Ready, Prompto?” Ignis asked.

“Ready,” Prompto said. “Here I go!”

The flask sailed through the air. Prompto’s aim was true, and the flask exploded in the centre of the pack, freezing and stopping all four Seadevils.

“Nice, Prompto,” Noctis said.

Prompto laughed. “Just leave it to us,” he said, racing off to catch up with Ignis and Gladio.

As promised Noctis hung back. It was hard not to; his lungs wouldn’t fill enough to let him run at the same speed as the others. It was like all his congestion had migrated south, choking his airways.

He watched his friends take on the half-frozen Seadevils. The Stop magic hadn’t held out for long, but it gave them the time they needed for a pre-emptive attack. Gladio took one Seadevil out with a single strike. Ignis’ polearm skewered a second before it could eat him, and Prompto took out another with some well-placed shots. Together, they turned on the last one.

That was when Noctis heard something in the bushes behind him. Turning, he phased just in time to avoid taking a sword to the chest. MTs. Six of them. He didn’t have a chance to call out to the others. The MTs were on him, and he had to fight. He blocked their blades and dodged their bullets, adrenaline pushing the cold’s symptoms aside. He couldn’t keep this up forever, and the others had their hands full. Noctis warped to a safe distance. He had one idea, and with his friends at a safe distance, he could put it into practice.

Pulling on the thunder he’d absorbed when the Ariadne had hit him, Noctis cast a powerful Thundaga spell, the raw magic lashing out, annihilating everything in its path; MTs and flora alike. By the time the spell rumbled away to nothing, the MTs were in a lifeless heap of scarred metal. Noctis breathed out, wiping sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand. Safe. And so were his friends; four dead Seadevils proved that. He saw them running towards him. At least, he thought he did. His vision went weird, blurry and sliding to one side. Never mind. It was over. They could find a motel… he could shower… and maybe…

He hit something, hard. It wasn’t the soft bed of a motel room. It was the rocky ground. Noctis knew he should get up, but his body ached too much. The taste of mucus coated the back of his throat. Gross. Ugh. He coughed, shaking more mucus loose. He pushed himself up on his knees so he could spit out what came up. He vomited up something gross and yellow just as Prompto arrived.

“Warn a guy,” Prompto moaned, gagging noisily. “You okay?”

Noctis nodded. He didn’t have the air to spare on words. By the time he finished coughing and… worse, his head fizzled and popped, his body burned with fever, and the only thing keeping him from hitting the ground again was Gladio’s helping arm around his shoulders. His breaths came in short, harsh gasps. He couldn’t get enough air in. The more he struggled, the fuzzier his eyesight got.

“Focus on your breathing,” Gladio said. “Don’t panic. Slow it down.”

Noctis tried. His lungs wanted more, but they’d have to make do with what they got. No way would he be running anywhere anytime soon.

“We’re finished here,” Ignis said. “Let’s cash in these hunts and pick up the money we’ve earned.”

“And then a motel?” Prompto asked hopefully.

“Motel,” Ignis confirmed.

Noctis sank against Gladio. He’d never heard a sweeter word in all his life.

* * *

Showered, dosed up and fast asleep, Noctis finally seemed to be resting peacefully. His chest still crackled with congestion, but a combination of medicine and a cool cloth kept the fever relatively mild. Ignis let out a breath. The money from the hunts would keep their heads above water for a good while. They couldn’t let themselves get so desperate again, no matter what.

Prompto stepped out of the shower, smelling fresh and smiling brightly. “That feels so much better,” he said. He looked to Gladio. “All yours.”

“You better have left some hot water,” Gladio muttered.

“What? Me? I was in there for, like, ten minutes.”

“Twenty,” Gladio fake-sneezed.

“Ah, but a big, burly guy like you won’t mind cold water, right?” Prompto asked, a grin lighting up his face. “It’s gotta be good for all those muscles.”

Gladio stood up and stalked across the room. Prompto let out a squeal as the larger, older man whacked the upside of his head.

“Gentlemen, please,” Ignis said, weary and keen to have a shower himself as soon as possible. "Noct needs to sleep."

"Like we could wake him up," Gladio muttered as he disappeared into the bathroom.

Prompto sat on the bed beside Noctis, hand moving as if to take his temperature, only to stop.

“You really ought to not get too close,” Ignis said. “I’d hate for you to catch it as well.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. Noct’s right about me – it takes a lot to get through my immune system.”

“Still, we’ve been under a lot of strain lately. There’s a high chance your immunity will be somewhat compromised,” Ignis said.

“Okay, okay.” Prompto moved to the other bed, flopping backwards with a happy sigh. “I can’t believe how good it feels to be on a real bed.”

“It does make a nice change,” Ignis said. He sipped his Ebony, relaxing into the chair. Now they all had a chance to get some much-needed rest. They could afford a few nights’ rest here, and then head out and pick up a few easier hunts just to keep their wallets full. “We’re certainly learning to appreciate the smaller things in life, aren’t we?”

Prompto sat up, staring at him. “Wait. Are you admitting it too? That camping sucks?”

Ignis raised the can of Ebony to his lips. “I’m admitting nothing,” he said.

“That’s okay,” Prompto chuckled. “Your secret’s safe with me. I guess camping really isn’t that dignified, is it?”

“Not for that long,” Ignis said. He fully intended to never go so long without access to clean, hot, running water ever again.

Noctis stirred, mumbling something incoherent. He coughed, but it didn’t turn into anything more serious. Ignis moved, but Prompto was there, soothing him. “You’re okay,” he said, adjusting the cold compress. “Relax in this real bed while you can. Gladio’s gonna share with you, and he’s a real space hog.”

Silence and stillness fell again. Prompto relaxed, returning to the other bed. He tapped away on his phone, but by the time Gladio emerged from the shower, Prompto snored louder than Noctis.

“Unbelievable,” Gladio said.

Ignis finished the rest of his drink and stood. At last, he could wash off the days of grime. “Keep an eye on them,” he said, heading into the bathroom.

“Always do,” Gladio said.

Thirty minutes (and one very thorough shower) later, Ignis returned to the main room.

Gladio was asleep too, somehow not rolling off the edge of the bed as though even in sleep he wanted to keep his distance from Noctis’ germs.

Relishing the peace and quiet, Ignis dug Prompto’s camera out of his bag and captured the moment.

Five minutes after that, Ignis was asleep too.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading everyone! I will be headed over to the KH fandom again next Friday, but I'll have a new chapter up for Meteor on Monday ;)
> 
> Until then, y'all can find me on [Tumblr!](https://breakfastteatime.tumblr.com)


End file.
